This invention relates generally to air conditioning, and in particular to apparatus for installing an air conditioning unit upon the roof of a vehicle such as a recreational vehicle (R.V.).
Roof top air conditioning units known in the prior art have proven to be difficult to install because the roof depth on recreational vehicles and other similar type vehicles can vary from two inches to six inches or more, depending upon the manufacturer. Typically, the air conditioning unit is seated upon a mounting frame that passes downwardly through an opening in the roof into the passenger compartment or comfort zone. The frame typically is divided into two sections, one of which conducts return air from the interior of the vehicle into the air conditioner and the other of which conducts supply air from the air conditioner back to the interior of the vehicle.
Providing a frame that has the desired depth while still separating the supply air and return air flows has been a problem in the art. Typically, the frame assembly includes an undesirable number of interrelated parts that make assembling of the unit time consuming and difficult, thus increasing the cost of the unit. Adjustable panels have been devised for use in the frame for separating the return air path from the supply air path, however, for the most part, these separators have limited adjustability and are unable to provide a tight seal between the two flow paths. As a consequence, the efficiency of the air conditioning unit is adversely effected.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve air conditioning units and in particular, air conditioning units that are mounted upon the roofs of vehicles such as recreational vehicles.
A further object of the present invention is to improve apparatus for mounting an air conditioning unit upon the roof of a motor vehicle.
A still further object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts needed to install an air conditioning unit upon the roof of a vehicle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a telescoping leak tight fill adjustable partition for separating the supply air and return air flow path in the mounting frame of an automotive roof top air conditioning unit.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by apparatus for installing an air conditioning unit upon the roof of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a mounting frame that passes downward through the roof of a vehicle upon which the air conditioning unit is seated. A one-piece floor panel is mounted in the frame and an adjustable partition divides the interior of the frame into two compartments and the base of the partition is secured to the floor panel. A movable top section is slidably mounted upon the base section of the partition that is arranged to close against the pan of the air conditioning unit. The height to which the top section of the partition can be brought is adjustable and the resilient seals surround the section to provide positive seals acting against the side walls of the frame and the pan of the air conditioning unit between the return air inlet and the supply air outlet thereby dividing the frame into two separate compartments. Each compartment communicates with the interior of the vehicle so that return air is drawn upwardly into the air conditioning unit through one compartment and supply air is passed downwardly through the second compartment.